NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Subdesert Mesite
Monias benschi Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The subdesert mesite (Monias benschi) is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Madagascar. It is one of three species in the mesite family Mesitornithidae, and is restricted in distribution to a small low-land region in southwest Madagascar.
Wikipedia contributors, Subdesert mesite; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:44:39.159228+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Monias benschi Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
- Name authority
- Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
- Common name
- Subdesert Mesite
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Mesitornithiformes
- Family
- Mesitornithidae
- Genus
- Monias
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderMesitornithiformes
- familyMesitornithidae
- genusMonias Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
- speciesMonias benschi Oustalet & G. Grandidier, 1903
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Oustalet, É., and G. Grandidier. (1903). Description d’une nouvelle espèce d’Oiseau, type d’un genre nouveau, provenant de Madagascar. Bulletin Du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Vol. 9, No. 1. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:443TX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.